The property has been empty for two years due to the service not being needed, but a steady rise in demand for temporary accommodation since 2010 has forced the council to develop and refurbish it

2 Wensley Road, in Coley Park, which is to be brought into use to house homeless people on a temporary basis

“I know it’s very NIMBY and ‘what about the poor homeless people?’, but this charming Dickensian view the council has of homeless people does not tally with the seven-year-old smashing in my back window.”

That’s the view of a Coley resident who said he will be ‘living in fear’ if plans to bring a homeless hostel back into use goes ahead.

The man, who is in his fifties and did not wish to be named, has lived with his wife in Boston Avenue near the local authority-owned flats at 2 Wensley Road for seven years, but said that if proposals go ahead he may be forced to move home.

He said: “When I first moved in, the hostel was in use and the level of crime was terrible. Within the first year I witnessed a violent brawl in my front garden, tyres slashed on my car, the glass in our front door smashed, and four residents of the hostel breaking into our garden and trying to get into the house.

“We even had the back window of our car smashed while my wife was driving it.

“But after a while the people started to move out, and the crime dropped down to zero. It was incredible. The area actually became a nice place to live and we experienced no problems at all.”

In April it was announced that the flats were to be renovated after Reading Borough Council’s housing, neighbourhoods and leisure committee approved a proposal to bring the building back into use as temporary accommodation for homeless people.

The property has been empty for two years due to the service not being needed, but a steady rise in demand for temporary accommodation since 2010 has forced the council to develop and refurbish it.

But the man said: “The council doesn’t care, as the building is not changing use we can’t appeal the decision and they can do what they like.

“They have basically said ‘sod you’ and then happily go back to their houses in areas where these homeless people don’t live.

“I spoke to a manager at the council yesterday and he actually said, and I quote, ‘If these scum were moving in next to me I would fight tooth and nail too’.”

The man said he had tried calling the police on numerous occasions to deal with the anti-social behaviour, but they told him they couldn’t help and wouldn’t come out.

He said: “They basically told me I was on my own, I had four people trying to break into my house and they said they wouldn’t come out.

“Of course they called me back to check if I was okay, then the next day a community support officer came out to say how terrible it all was, but nothing was done.

“I am now looking into setting up defences around my house, putting up fences and CCTV cameras, but I think I will probably move out if it gets as bad as it did.”

Lead councillor for housing Richard Davies said: “A lot of councillors are well aware of the history of the area and will take measures to prevent crime.

“These are just normal families who have fallen on hard times. To vilify them and make them out to be a criminal group of people is unfair.

“As many people are aware the cost of renting in Reading has risen significantly over the past few months and many private landlords are evicting tenants so they can charge more.

“Of course we don’t want to put people in the temporary housing without supporting them and the residents who live nearby.

“The people who qualify for the temporary accommodation will be assigned a support worker who will monitor their situation, as well as carrying out regular visits to the property to make sure it is being maintained properly and it is fit for purpose.